Miss Independent
by princex
Summary: Fifteen year old Amy wants to show her friends how mature she is.


"I'm fifteen years old—I need to start acting like it!"

Amy posed in front of the mirror, trying out different smiles, different expressions, different ways of carrying herself. The realization of her age had finally hit her that morning; sure, it was dramatic, but Amy Rose was a teenager, and she was certain that morning revelations such as these were normal and even expected for girls her age, species notwithstanding.

Amy had thrown together a very light and ingenue-like outfit—a simple cream-colored dress which flowed in all directions, its material soft and loose. Giggling, she twirled around in circles in front of the mirror to the point of dizziness, until she realized how childish she was acting.

"Amy Rose," she chided, "what did I just say? We need to be more mature!"

Amy clicked her white heels together and breathed deeply. She tried to assume the posture of a sophisticated lady, examining herself intently in the mirror. No matter how hard she tried, she only succeeded in looking like a little girl playing dress up.

She growled in frustration and slammed her fists on her pink wooden dresser. Amy was tired of being referred to as childish, immature, whiny…she wanted to impress her friends with her new look and attitude! Yet she had spent hours in front of this same mirror, tossing aside various bits of clothing into a heap in the corner of her room, applying a multitude of shades of lipstick which only made her look like a clown, coaching herself relentlessly after every disappointment.

Amy finally sighed in resignation. This was her best outfit thus far—it wouldn't do to spend another five hours stewing in her own failures. She decided to pull her quills into a loose ponytail, pushing back her bangs with a white lace headband. Yes, a natural look was what was best, after all…she didn't want to seem even more childlike than before with makeup she obviously was not capable of applying well.

With new resolve, Amy marched off into her living room and opened wide the door to the world she adored. Amy admired her well kept garden, the wonderful weather, the pleasant scent of roses… She closed her eyes in wonder, her mind abuzz with excitement. Today, she was going to prove how mature she was! She was going to impress her friends who, doubtless, were going to be left in a permanent state of shock. Amy was tired of being condescended to and underestimated; she was strong, and capable, and independent! She just had to show her friends how formidable she was, and then she'd get the respect she deserved!

Amy walked over the threshold of her front porch and advanced into her new world of possibilities. She walked over to the nearby park, which was filled with running children and their doting parents. Amy felt the impulse to join in their play, but stopped herself in time. It was not becoming of a young lady to engage in horseplay, after all! Still, it made her heart sink a little to know the fun she was missing, the bounteous laughter of the kids filling her ears.

Amy sighed, and walked over to a quiet spot under a large tree, sitting carefully under its boughs so that she didn't dirty her dress. It was easy enough to decide to change, but how did one go about showing off her new self? It was very circumstantial, and she would have to think hard about meeting all of her friends in a single place, all of them subject to her transformation all at the same time. She figured the tranquility of this area of the park would aid her in concocting her master plot.

Amy was deep in thought when a low voice surprised her. "What a surprise; Amy Rose, still and quiet for more than five seconds."

Amy wheeled around to see Shadow smirking slightly above her, arms crossed with a smug expression on his face. She pouted childishly. "Don't be a jerk! This is a new thing I'm trying out!"

Shadow curiously lifted a brow. "A…new thing? Care to elaborate?"

Amy turned her face away from him. "You wouldn't understand. You'd probably laugh at me…like everyone else would." She cast her gaze downwards, now realizing how stupid she was to think she could ever change her friends' impression of her. She would always be Amy Rose, the loudest, most persistent and childish girl in the world; Shadow, the similarly bluntest person on Earth, just proved that for her.

Shadow suddenly regretted his tone. The two were…friends, if that could truly be said; Amy was there to push him into trying new things, and Shadow occasionally confided in her. He did think she was pleasant company, although much too energetic and lively at times.

He awkwardly sat down next to her, as he was unaccustomed to being the confidant Amy sometimes was to him. "I'm not exactly one to laugh, Amy," he stated wryly.

Amy immediately whirled around to face him. "I've seen you laugh before! Like that time when I got all that chocolate on my face and you kept telling me to wipe it off, but I kept making it worse, until you had to do it yourself… You were laughing your head off!" she exaggerated. Amy began to blush as Shadow stared at her with an unamused expression. "Well, okay, you weren't laughing your head off…but you did chuckle a bit, and that counts!" she persisted.

Shadow was silent, not because he was offended, but because he didn't know what to say next; Amy was like a bomb ready to go off at any moment, and he preferred to keep the impact as minimal as possible.

This only affirmed Amy's insecurity. She slumped her shoulders and began to twiddle her fingers. "It's just that…this morning, I woke up and it finally hit me how old I am! And I act like such a kid, and everyone thinks I'm a kid, and treats me like I can't do anything by myself without getting into trouble…so I wanted to show everyone how mature I am! Because I am, I do lots of things by myself, and…" Amy let her sentence trail off without ending as she began to realize how truly childish she sounded. She sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day; it was a fruitless effort since its inception…she couldn't even fool herself. Amy just wanted to disappear, away from Shadow's scrutiny, away from her own incompetence.

Shadow hesitantly placed a hand on Amy's shoulder as she was faced away from him. "Amy, you are very capable. I'm sure your friends think so as well."

Amy huffed in disbelief. Shadow opted for a different approach. Gently as he could, took her chin in his hand so that she could face him. Amy stared at him in confusion; he rarely touched her, much less with such gentleness.

Eye contact in situations like these was uncomfortable for him, but he felt obligated to compromise his comfort for her ease. "I mean it. I suppose I can only speak for myself, but…I think…you have many positive qualities about you." Shadow cursed himself for his awkward vagueness. He was trying the best he could. "You are very energetic, which I suppose can be mistaken for childishness…it's more liveliness than anything else, really…and that's not a crime." Shadow hoped he was striking a chord. He decided to keep going, as it became easier. "I know many of your friends cower in fear of your anger and that hammer of yours…" he chuckled. "I don't think it's necessary to change yourself, as there is nothing to change. You are already quite independent; I think you are the only one who doesn't see it."

Amy continued to stare at Shadow. Did he feel forced to compliment her? If so, she started to feel a bit ashamed of herself. Yet it didn't sound like he was lying for the sake of comforting her…he was, after all, very honest, if not brutally so. It simply unnerved her to hear him speak so highly of her, or to speak at length at all.

Amy averted her gaze. She felt a weird combination of embarrassment and shame. It wasn't everyday that she was complimented like this by anyone, much less Shadow. She wondered if her friends really did think she was independent, as he said. Maybe she was acting like a fool after all…

Amy finally vocalized her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Shadow, for making you go out on a limb like this… Especially if I was wrong about what my friends think of me! I mean, I didn't think I was that scary when I got angry…and my hammer's not that big and scary…is it?" she timidly asked.

Shadow suppressed the urge to laugh. To see her so innocent, so oblivious to her power…it was kind of adorable, although he would never admit it. "Yes…you are very strong, and so is your hammer," he said.

Amy giggled. "You're so sweet, Shadow. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a huge crush on me." Once she said that, the weight of her words began to crush her. Why did she say that? Why did she even flirt with him? Was that even flirting? Why did she pick this moment to speak without thinking? She was just a kid, for goodness's sake!

Shadow was nonplussed. He was both confused and completely flustered. He even seriously considered teleporting away from the situation. Shadow was the Ultimate Life Form, damn it, not some suave bachelor!

He simply elected to look away from her, so as to hide the probable blush forming on his muzzle.

Amy had her hand clutched over her mouth, as if to prevent any more hapless words from falling out. She decided to think very, very hard before speaking this time. "I'm sorry, Shadow, I don't know why I said that. I mean, can you even imagine…you and me…" She then felt an unbearable heat on her cheeks. "It was a mistake! I-I mean…it's not like I'm super pretty to begin with, and I can be really overbearing and… oh, I'm so embarrassed! Please forgive me…!"

Amy hid her face in her hands. The first time had she flirted with someone other than Sonic, and it had to be now, with Shadow! Amy had gotten over Sonic years ago as her feelings dulled and she began to (lovingly) realize what a slob he was, and no one had really piqued her interest since then… It was unthinkable that she'd choose Shadow, of all people. She didn't think she knew how to flirt, if that could qualify as flirting… Amy admitted that she liked Shadow; he was a very calm presence to be around, especially in contrast to her constant energy. At first, he was obviously very reluctant to accept her company, probably because of how tiring she could be…yet it felt like, as they got to know each other more, and build on the trust they had between them since the incident on the ARK, he was as welcoming as he could possibly be. Maybe he even liked how spirited she was? He certainly stopped moaning and groaning with every new exploit she had devised—well, he still tried to keep up the image, but she swore she saw the ghost of a smile on his face when she approached him. He could even be playful, as playful as someone like him could be. Amy wondered if he ever thought she was pretty…

Amy felt the urge to slap herself. She was being such a hormonal teenager! Maybe she really was beginning to act her age, after all… She wasn't sure if that was a resounding success, or a miserable failure.

Suddenly, a highly amused shout unnerved them both. "Hey, get a room, you two!"

Amy was surprised and mortified to see Sonic, her old crush, fast approaching them. Even Shadow was too humiliated to muster a scowl at seeing his rival.

Sonic was grinning from ear to ear. Sure, he had seen this coming for years, but now that he saw them side by side, red like tomatoes…

"Looking good, Amy! You two on a date or something?" he teased.

Amy didn't think she could feel more embarrassed. "N-No, of course not! We…we were just talking!" she insisted fruitlessly. Shadow nodded absentmindedly.

Sonic snorted. "Sure, that's why you're all dressed up, and why you're so close…did I miss a hot make out session or what?"

Amy helplessly looked to Shadow for help. He was as still as a statue. It looked as if his soul had left his body. He would truly never be able to live this down—Sonic would make sure of it.

"Sonic, stop being such a creep! Anyway, the reason I'm dressed so nice is because I…I wanted to impress you!" she cried.

Sonic was taken aback. "What? I thought you were over me, already…" he sulked. An overwhelming sense of dread came over him. Sonic was relieved when Amy had stopped her advances; he didn't have the heart to tell her that he just wasn't interested in romance, period. Plus, he just didn't enjoy having such personal conversations with anyone.

Amy scoffed. "Ugh, don't flatter yourself! It's just…you always treat me like a little girl! You and everyone else…" She closed her eyes in thought, choosing her words carefully. "I wanted to prove to you guys that I'm mature…so I wanted to look more mature too!" Amy raised her eyes to face him. "So that you can finally respect me!"

Sonic blinked, then looked guiltily at her. He had always thought she was strong and independent; maybe he was just too overprotective? Ever since he saved her from Metal Sonic, ever since he saw her cry, wretched and alone…he had vowed to never let her cry again. Sonic really cared about Amy, but perhaps he had cared too much that he didn't allow her any agency…

Sonic approached her, offering a hug. Amy hesitantly accepted, and held him loosely. Sonic said, "Amy, I've always respected you…but I've also always cared about you a lot. Remember when we first met?" he asked. Amy looked at him and nodded. "You were crying…and I didn't want that to happen again. But I guess I went too far…I'm sorry."

Amy's expression softened. Of course Sonic cared about her. Of course he didn't want her to get hurt. Yes, it hurt her so much that he made her feel like she was weak. Yet she elected to forgive him all the same. It really was just a lack of communication that started this—and Sonic should know better, because after all, shouldn't he be more mature than her?

Amy giggled. Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, Sonic, I guess it turns out you're just a kid, too!"

Sonic stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I have no idea what you're getting at, but yeah, I guess so!"

Shadow watched the two friends smiling and finally completely understanding each other, and he began to walk away. His presence was no longer needed, after all…it's not like he wanted to run away from a very embarrassing moment…

Sonic noticed him immediately. "Hey, lover boy, don't think you're off the hook yet!" he shouted.

Shadow froze. He turned to Sonic very slowly and meaningfully. "Last I checked, you can't tell me what to do, Faker."

Sonic snorted. "You're still caught up on that 'Faker' thing? Grow up already, will you?" He winked at Amy, who smiled sheepishly.

Shadow finally gave his signature scowl. "My point still stands."

Sonic grinned solemnly. "You know, you would make a cute couple…and with the goo-goo eyes you were giving her, I think you owe her a date, don't you agree?"

Shadow began to blush again. "I'm not sure what you're referring to with these so-called…'goo-goo eyes.'"

Amy felt mortified all over again. Just when she thought she was seeing eye-to-eye with Sonic, he had to go and embarrass her again! He really was just a kid!

Sonic scoffed. "C'mon, Shads… I've seen you two together plenty of times to know you have a mad crush on her." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "You're a fine person to lecture me on such things as romance, considering…" Shadow glared at him in knowing annoyance.

Sonic shrugged. "I don't have to be a romantic to know these things; I call 'em like I see 'em…"

Amy had no idea what either of them was talking about. All she knew was that she so badly wanted this conversation to end.

Amy blurted, "Hey, Sonic, don't you have badniks to bust?"

Sonic quickly turned around to face her. Ironically, he had forgotten she was present, despite the fact that she was the very subject of his and Shadow's conversation.

Sonic smirked mischievously. "Oh, I see, you want me to go so that you can put the moves on your boyfriend… I get it, Amy…"

Amy curled her fingers into fists. "Sonic, if you don't shut up right now, I'll…!" Words failed Amy; all she could think to do next was pull out her gigantic Piko Piko Hammer. She slowly advanced upon him, the hammer raised menacingly above her head.

Sonic was sufficiently frightened. "Okay, okay, Ames, I'll stop! Just don't come any closer! I'll even say 'uncle!'"

As Sonic cowered, Shadow chuckled softly, saying in a voice so low only Amy could hear, "I told you so."


End file.
